Rikers Island

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New York, U.S.

The saga of Rikers spans from brutal notoriety in the 1990s to the current state of the prison, which is essentially an impenetrable fortress. Many inmates have said that Rikers is worse than the roughest New York City streets.

Prisoner violence is legendary. One account from John Reyes, a guard in 1991, mentions numerous bloody beatings and even murders. Reyes said that a day did not go by that he wasn’t afraid. Due to these circumstances, Rikers has seen a ton of recent reform and it is now quite possibly the strictest prison in the country. Huge SWAT teams crack down on riots, search cells on a daily basis to confiscate hundreds of makeshift weapons and reinforce a super-tough Gang Intelligence Unit. In the past, an inmate wasn’t charged with a crime if he attacked another inmate or a guard, but he is now. These changes have helped drop 1,000 stabbings a year to around 70.

The worst part: The legacy of violence will forever haunt Rikers, but the No. 1 issue now is that the place destroys your spirit. The system is one of fierce organization, but the environment strains for chaos and the two forces are pitted against each other. You feel inclined to protect yourself, but if you’re caught with a shank, you receive more time. Maynard Archer, who has served time in Rikers five times since 1988, says: “They don’t use pepper spray… they use sticks and the threat of fear.”